ABSTRACT
Malaria is one of the most important parasitic diseases in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world and kills a large number of People annually. Diagnosis of the disease is preformed by microscopic and molecular methods. This study has been designed for detecting of latent/sub-patent infection caused by plasmodium vivax in individuals with history of vivax malaria without any clinical signs by means of microscopic and molecular methods. In this descriptive study, the blood samples of 38 individuals from Parsabad [Ardabil province] and Kaleiber [East Azarbayejan province] has been collected one year after primary diagnosis of vivax malaria and effective treatment of the diseases, based on the standard country's protocol, as well as upon primary microscopic detection of thin and thick blood smears. They were assessed by Nested-PCR method in Pastor Institute of Iran. All samples were negative by microscopic method; we found one vivax positive case via Nested-PCR. Microscopic examination is a selective and standard method in malaria diagnosis. Due to the probability of existence of latent/sub-patent infection in endemic areas and microscopic misdiagnosis of thin and thick blood smears and epidemiologic importance of malaria diagnosis, the use of molecular methods such as Nested-PCR in individuals with history of vivax malaria to detect any latent/sub/patent infection seems to be beneficial